CONSTITUTION

Article I: Name

The name of this organization shall
be the Medical Student Council (MSC).

Article II: Purpose and Functions

Section One: Purpose

A. The MSC shall be the officially
recognized representative body of the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina
University medical students and shall serve their unique academic,
non-academic, and social interests.

Section Two: Functions

A. Provide a forum for the
discussion of issues raised by School of Medicine students.

B. Foster inter-class collegiality
and social activities.

C. Provide an opportunity for
medical student participation in the decision-making process of the School of
Medicine.

D. Promote and support the School of
Medicine in the continued advancement of its standards.

Article III: Membership

Section One: Members

A. The President of each School of
Medicine class.

B. Four other elected (MSC
Representatives) representatives from each class.

C. Diversity Representative from
each School of Medicine class.

D. The Organization of Student
Representatives (OSR) member from each School of Medicine Class.

E. The Curriculum Representative from
each School of Medicine class.

F. The Vice-President of each School
of Medicine class.

G. The Secretary/Treasurer of each
School of Medicine class.

H. Alternate MSC representative from
each School of Medicine class as elected by that class.

I. A minority representative shall
be elected to the medical student council from each School of Medicine class to
serve a one year term, in the following circumstances. If in the event no
minority student is elected to a class officer position through the natural course
of individual class elections, then that class shall elect a minority
representative by a simple majority vote of all minority students officially
recognized as members of that School of Medicine class. A student is deemed a
minority student as set forth by official School of Medicine policies at the
time election is held.

Section Three: Voting Members

D. Four elected MSC representatives
from each School of Medicine class.

E. The Diversity representative from
each School of Medicine class.

F. The OSR from each School of
Medicine class.

G. The Curriculum representative
from each School of Medicine class.

H. The MSC Alternate Representative
may vote at MSC meetings if he/she is voting in the absence of another MSC
representative.

I. Minority Representative from each
class provided one has been so elected according to Article III, Section One.

Section Four: Non-Voting Members

A. MSC Alternate Representative
except when voting in place of another absent class representative as
stipulated in Article III, Section Three.

B. Allied Health Professions
representatives.

C. Immediate Past Chair of MSC.

Section Five: MSC Executive Officers

A. Chairman

B. Vice-Chairman

C. Secretary

D. Treasurer

Article IV: Amendments

Section One: Amendments to the
Constitution

A. All proposed amendments to the
Constitution must be submitted in writing to the MSC at least two weeks prior
to the meeting at which the proposed amendment is to be considered.

B. The MSC may recommend an
amendment to the constitution by a two-thirds affirmative vote of those voting
members present at a called meeting of the MSC.

C. Two-thirds of the voting members
of MSC shall represent a quorum.

D. The Constitution may be amended,
following recommendation by the MSC, by a two-thirds affirmative vote of all
medical students at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University
choosing to participate in the vote. The vote will be conducted by secret
ballot.

E. A simple majority of the student
body shall represent a quorum. (ie. A simple majority must
participate in the vote. Of these voting members a vote by 2/3 represents an
affirmative vote.)

Section Two: Amendments to the
By-Laws

A. The MSC may only adopt by-laws
consistent with this constitution and the regulations of the School of Medicine
then in effect.

B. All proposed amendments to the
By-Laws must be submitted in writing to the MSC at least two weeks prior to the
meeting at which the proposed amendment is to be considered.

C. The MSC may amend the By-Laws by
a two-thirds affirmative vote of voting members present at a called meeting of
the MSC.

D. Two-thirds of the voting members
of the MSC shall represent a quorum.

E. For the purpose of class
elections, officers presiding over the election may utilize electronic election
methods as long as those methods are non-biased and secure. Candidates will
provide electronic copies of their speeches so those may be provided to the
class via email. Proof of the election results will be provided upon request of
the MSC Chair. These results will be confirmed by the Chair and Vice-Chair of
the MSC.

BYLAWS

Article I: Duties of MSC Members

A. It shall be the duty of each MSC
member to express the wishes of their constituency and to act in behalf in all
matters of interest to the enrolled medical students of the Brody School of
Medicine at East Carolina University.

Article II: Election of MSC Members

Section One: Term of Office

A. The term of office shall run
concurrent with the student’s academic calendar.

B. The term of office for MSC
members shall be for one year, except for OSR representatives who shall serve a
term for four years.

Section Two: Elections

A. Regular elections shall be
conducted by two or more members of the MSC who are not members of the class
holding nominations and elections (in the case of the 1st year
class, nominations and elections will be conducted by the two M2 transitional
officers).

MSC members will be assigned by the
Chairman to conduct the elections by the following protocol.

1. Nominations will be accepted from
class members present at a meeting designated for such purpose. There will be a
standing open floor for nominations to be submitted to student affairs for 48
hrs after the aforementioned meeting. Once this 48 hr period has expired the
floor will be closed for nominations and the resulting ballot and scheduled
election date shall be made available to all class members. At any time in the
interval between nominations and the conclusion of voting, a nominee may remove
him/herself from the list, or, if voting has already commenced, the nominee may
express his/her desire to the presiding officers to be removed from the active
election. If desired, candidates may post a written statement listing their
interest in serving as member of the MSC, however this does not preclude them
from making their two minute speech at elections.

2. The election will be held within
one month following the nominating session; however, this may be waived by the
MSC if the class president can present a reasonable argument why the class
cannot concur.

a. Prior to voting, each candidate
will be allowed no more than two minutes to make a statement regarding their
interest in and qualifications for the office they seek.

b. Immediately prior to voting, a
period of discussion may be held.

c. Printed ballots will be
distributed to members present by a class roster at the time of election. At
the time the ballots are called you are no longer eligible to receive a ballot.

d. A simple majority of the vote is
required for the election of a candidate. In the event a majority is not
achieved, a run-off election between the top two vote-getting candidates will
be held. This run-off will be conducted by MSC members and will take place
immediately utilizing secret ballots. In the event of ties, run-offs will
consecutively be held until a majority is reached (on the same date of the
election, or as soon as possible following the original vote)

e. M‑IV, M‑III, M-II elections shall
take place between April 1 and the last MSC meeting of the year preceding the
term of office.The M‑I class will schedule a
meeting for nominations during the fourth week of the academic year.

f. No person may concurrently hold
more than one of the following positions: MSC Chairperson, MSC Vice-Chairperson
or Class President.

g. Two Transitional Leaders shall be
selected by the MSC from the MSC members at the last annual meeting of the MSC.
The Transitional Leader will serve in the capacity of Acting Class President
and as a source of information for the incoming M‑I class until a Class
President is elected.

h. Students may use absentee ballots
only if they have submitted an acceptable reason to the Dean of Academic
Affairs for their absence on Election Day. This must be received by the Dean's
Office no later than 48 hours before elections.

i. If student is on an away rotation
during the time of the election, an electronic ballot can be made available via
electronic mail by the Office of Student Affairs. The electronic ballot will be
made available via electronic mail by a delegated class officer and submitted
to the Office of Student Affairs for distribution to all individuals for which
this applies. The completed electronic ballot must be submitted to Student Affairs
prior to the commencement of the vote.

j. Voting by proxy is not permitted.

k. Write-in votes are not permitted.

Amendment 1: For the purpose of
class elections, officers presiding over the election may utilize electronic
election methods as long as those methods are non-biased and secure. Candidates
will provide electronic copies of their speeches so those may be provided to
the class via email. Proof of the election results will be provided upon
request of the MSC Chair. These results will be confirmed by the Chair and
Vice-Chair of the MSC.

Amendment 2: No individual may run for more than one position in the same class officer election.

Section Three: Election of MSC
Executive Officers

A. MSC Executive Officers shall be elected by
a simple majority vote of all voting MSC members present at the last MSC
meeting of the academic year.

B. Both incoming and outgoing voting
MSC members are eligible to vote for MSC Executive Officers.

Section Four: Eligibility

A. Only incoming MSC members are
eligible to be elected as an MSC Executive Officer.

B. Only MSC members with a least one
year of experience are eligible to be elected as MSC Chair, MSC Vice-Chair, or
MSC Treasurer.

Section Five: Duties of MSC Executive Officers

A. Chairperson

It shall be the duty of the
Chairperson to:

1. Call and preside over all MSC
meetings.

2. Act as official spokesperson for
the MSC.

3. Act as an ex-officio member of
all committees.

4. Act as the Chairperson of the
Committee on Student Affairs.

5. Assume the duties necessary for
the proper functioning of the MSC that are not specified as duties of other MSC
officers or members.

6. The Chair of the Medical Student
Council shall have the ability to call for impromptu funds not to exceed $200
without the authority of the council for situations he/she deems needs
expedited financing. The chair must have unanimous approval of the other three MSC
officers in writing, and the MSC Treasurer must notify the full council of the
transaction within 24 hours. The funding must be placed on the agenda by the
Treasurer at the next MSC meeting for further explanation or discussion.

B. Vice-Chairperson

It shall be the duty of the
Vice-Chairperson to:

1. Perform all duties of the
Chairperson in the event of his/her absence or incapacity.

2. Act as Parliamentarian. Roberts
Rules of Order shall be used as the standard parliamentary procedure for all
MSC proceedings.

3. Act as Chairperson of the
Committee on Academic Affairs.

4. Represent the MSC as a member of
the Executive Curriculum Committee.

C. Secretary

It shall be the duty of the
Secretary to:

1. Remind all MSC members of each
meeting within the week prior to the meeting.

2. Record, preserve, and distribute
to the student body the minutes of all proceedings of the MSC.

3. Keep a record of attendance and
present to the MSC at each meeting a list of members with unexcused absences on
record.

4. Act as Chairperson of the
Committee on Student Information.

D. Treasurer

It shall be the duty of the
Treasurer to:

1. Maintain accurate financial
records of all MSC accounts.

2. Oversee all financial
transactions of the MSC.

3. Present updated financial reports
at each MSC meeting.

4. Project and present a yearly
budget at the first meeting of each academic year.

5. Present an annual report of
receipts and expenditures at the last meeting of each academic year.

6. Act as Chairperson of the
Fundraising Committee.

Section Six: Duties of Class
Officers

A. President

It shall be the duty of the
President to:

1. Call and preside over all class
meetings.

2. Act as official spokesperson for
the class.

3. Appoint ad hoc committees as
necessary and serve as an ex-officio member of each such committee.

4. Assume all duties necessary for
the proper representation of the interests of the class that are not specified
as duties of other class officers or members.

B. Vice-President

It shall be the duty of the
Vice-President to:

1. Perform all duties of the
President in the event of his/her absence or incapacity.

2. Assist the President in carrying
out his/her responsibilities as requested by the President.

3. Assume the office of President in
the case of the resignation of the President.

4. Organize and oversee the annual
class project.

C. Secretary-Treasurer

It shall be the duty of the
Secretary-Treasurer to:

1. Notify all class members of each
scheduled class meeting within the week prior to the meeting.

2. Record, preserve, and distribute
to the class the minutes of all proceedings of the class.

3. Project and present a yearly
budget at the first class meeting after elections each year.

4. Collect class dues.

5. Maintain accurate financial
records of all class accounts.

6. Oversee all financial
transactions of the class.

D. OSR Representative

It shall be the duty of each OSR
Representative to:

1. Represent the Brody School of
Medicine at all OSR meetings conducted by the Association of American Medical
Colleges.

2. Serve in this position for a
four-year term. If the OSR Representative misses both the spring and the fall
meetings of one academic year, then his/her term will expire at the end of said
academic year. In this event, elections shall be held to fill the open position
before the last MSC meeting of that academic year.

3. Convey information obtained at
these meetings to the student body the Brody School of Medicine directly and
through the MSC.

4. Keep the MSC informed of OSR
activities and information by attending the monthly MSC meeting.

E. MSC Representatives

It shall be the duty of each MSC
Representative to:

1. Solicit and represent the
interests and opinions of his/her classmates in all MSC issues and discussions.

2. Serve wherever appropriate or
feasible on various MSC committees

3. Convey information discussed or
decided upon in MSC meetings back to class members.

4. Encourage and solicit support for
MSC projects and events from classmates, faculty, and local businesses with the
help of all other MSC members.

F. Diversity Representative

It shall be the duty of the
Diversity Representative to:

1. Solicit and represent the
interests and opinions of his/her classmates, with particular attention to
those which may be unique to particular groups within the class in all MSC
issues and discussions.

2. Actively participate with other
Diversity Representatives on the Committee on Student Diversity.

3. Act as MSC liaison to and
official MSC spokesperson for other student organizations at the Brody School
of Medicine if requested by such organizations.

4. Act as an official representative
for any class member who is facing an issue of discrimination and does not wish
to speak for his or her self in the matter.

G. Curriculum Representative

It shall be the duty of the
Curriculum Representative to:

1. Represent the interests of
classmates on curriculum committees to which s/he is appointed by the
administration.

2. Keep MSC informed on proceedings
of curriculum meetings attended.

3. Serve as an official liaison
between classmates who have any issues with the curriculum and faculty members
responsible for that part of the curriculum.

4. Act as the official spokesperson
for the class in matters pertaining to the examinations and/or grading
processes.

5. Act as a member of the Committee
on Academic Affairs.

H. Minority Representative (In the
event that one has been elected pursuant to Article III, Section One-I of the
Constitution)

It shall be the duty of the Minority
Representative to:

1. Solicit and represent the
interests and opinions of his/her minority classmates in all MSC issues and
discussions.

2. Serve wherever appropriate or
feasible on various MSC committees

3. Convey information discussed or
decided upon in MSC meetings back to class members.

Section Seven: Meeting of the MSC

A. At least one meeting per month
shall be held by the MSC during the August to April academic year.

B. The chairperson of the MSC shall
have the authority to call additional meetings of the MSC as necessary.

C. Meetings shall be open to all
members of the student body of The Brody School of Medicine.

D. Robert’s Rules of Order shall be
the official parliamentary procedure reference for the MSC meetings.

Section Eight: MSC Committees

A. Standing Committees

All standing committees are to meet
as needed and should be prepared to give a report of all proceedings including
subcommittee activities at each MSC meeting.

1. Committee on Academic Affairs,
which shall be chaired by the Vice-Chairperson of MSC and shall address all the
issues of academic concern to medical students, including, but not limited to:

a. Course and curriculum review

b. Promotions

c. Confidentiality of the academic
record

d. Examinations and Grading

2. Committee on Student Information,
which shall be chaired by the Secretary of MSC, shall organize and distribute
information of importance to medical students, including but not limited to:

a. Newsletter/Synapse articles

b. The M-1 Student Survival Manual

c. Publicity and ticket sales for
MSC-sponsored events

3. Committee on Student Diversity,
which shall be chaired by any member of the MSC and shall address issues of
concern to all medical students including but not limited to the issues of
ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and the physically challenged.
It shall be the duty of this committee to assure input on such issues into all
deliberations and functions of the MSC. It shall be the duty of this committee
to provide for a means of increased awareness to the student body about issues
which may affect the educational environment, social climate, or medical
outcomes through any variety of educational formats, including but not limited
to:

a. Lectures

b. Workshops

c. Newsletter/Synapse articles

4. Committee on Student Affairs,
which shall be chaired by the Chairperson of MSC, shall attend monthly meetings
held and scheduled by the Office of Student Affairs. S/he and other members of
this committee, as determined by the Office of Student Affairs, shall be
responsible for keeping the MSC informed of proceedings of those meetings.
Topics covered may include but must not be limited to:

a. Scheduling and curriculum issues

b. Social and non-academic events
sponsored by the school

c. Academic Support and Enrichment
Center issues

5. Fundraising Committee, which
shall be responsible for organizing and implementing any new ideas for
fundraising on an as-needed basis, which shall be chaired by the Treasurer of
MSC.

B. The MSC Chairperson shall have
the authority to establish ad hoc committees to address issues of concern to
the medical student body or to oversee specific events sponsored by the MSC
each year.

C. The MSC Chairperson shall appoint
or call for the election of a committee chairperson for any committee for which
none is otherwise specified.

D. The chairperson of each committee
must be a current member of MSC.

E. Any enrolled medical student of
the Brody School of Medicine may volunteer for committee membership.

Section Nine: Dismissal of MSC Members

A. It shall be the duty of each
VOTING member of the MSC to attend all meetings. Two non-excused absences shall
result in dismissal of the member. A new election shall be called immediately
to replace that member.

B. In order to obtain an excused
absence from a meeting, the MSC member must notify either the MSC Chairperson
or Secretary within a week of the meeting and state why s/he should be excused
from the meeting.

C. The following shall be considered
excused absences:

1. Severe personal or family illness

2. Death in family

3. Residency interview outside
Greenville

4. Clinical rotation outside of
Greenville, if the MSC member is staying in arranged housing at that site or if
the site is greater than 60 miles away from Greenville.

5. Any other activity or event which
is officially excused by the Office of Student Affairs

6. Any other circumstance which is
considered excused by a simple majority vote of the MSC upon request of the
offering individual.

D. In the event a class officer must
be replaced, the following procedure will be followed:

1. The president of the replacing
class will notify the class members by email or announcement of the vacancy and
allow one week for nominations. All nominations will be placed on the ballet
unless a nominee request their named be removed. A second for a nomination is
not needed.

2. For M1 and M2 classes:

a. The procedure will follow that of
a normal election as outlined in numbers three through twelve of Section Two of
the Bylaws.

3. For M3 and M4 classes:

a. The class president will provide
a list of nominees and the election dates at the close of the nomination
session to the class via email or postings in the student lounge.

b. The nominees will have one week
from the close of nominations to make a statement to the class via email or
postings in the class lounge.

c. The elections will take place
over a one week period following the announcement period.

d. Student Affairs will provide an
email to all class members requesting a reply vote within the one week election
period. Student Affairs will tally the votes and announce the winner at the end
of the election period.

e. The nominee with the most votes
will be declared the winner.

E. In the event a MSC officer must
be replaced, the procedure in Section Three will be followed. Section Four will
not apply in a replacement election.

F. A quorum is required in all
replacement elections.

G. As elected by each class, those
class officers who are voting members in the Medical Student Council (see
Constitution Article Three, Section Three) have a duty to represent their
classes’ interest to the MSC. Attendance (as recorded by the MSC Secretary) by
voting members to the MSC meetings is essential to realistically fulfilling the
aforementioned duty. Based solely on attendance, the MSC has adopted the
following rules to determine whether or not a voting member is fulfilling
his/her duty to his/her respective class.

Note: The criteria for determining
an absence as excused verses unexcused can be found in By-Laws Article Two,
Section Nine.

1. If a voting member cannot attend
a meeting, the MSC secretary must be notified within 24 hours of the meeting,
the failure of which will result in an unexcused absence.

2. After 2 unexcused absences, the MSC
voting member will be required to attend the MSC meeting immediately following
the one in which their 2nd unexcused absence was recorded. At this
meeting, he/she must present reasons to the council as to why they did not
submit “excused absence” notifications to the MSC secretary at least 24 hrs
prior to the meetings they missed. Failure to attend the mandatory meeting
following the 2nd unexcused absence will result in automatic
expulsion from the MSC.

3. If the individual records another
unexcused absence in the academic year, an automatic expulsion will result.
Therefore, each MSC voting member can have a total of 3 unexcused absences in
one academic year as marked by the MSC secretary. Upon recording of the 3rd
unexcused absence, immediate expulsion will result.

4. If there are 3 consecutive excused
absences by a voting member, the MSC body will vote to determine if the
member in question is fulfilling his/her duty by attending MSC meetings. Hence,
after the 3rd excused absence, if the MSC determines (by simple
majority vote) that the officer is not fulfilling his/her duty, the immediate
expulsion of that member will follow.

5. Upon expulsion of a voting
member, the MSC alternate representative from that class will assume the
expelled member’s voting duty at subsequent MSC meetings.

6. Following any expulsion of a
voting member from MSC, it will be the responsibility of the class officers
from the expelled member’s class to determine the status of that member’s
responsibility within their respective class.

7. In the event of an expulsion from
the MSC, the Office of the Dean and the Office of Student Affairs will be
notified.

Section Ten: Quorum

A. Two-thirds of the MSC voting
members shall constitute a quorum for any meeting or vote pertaining.

No business other than setting the
time and place for an alternate meeting and adjournment shall be transacted
without the presence of a quorum.

Section Eleven: Voting

A. At any time at which a vote of
the MSC is called, each member shall refer to his/her voting status as outlined
in the Constitution, Article III, Section Three to determine whether s/he
should cast a vote.

B. Voting shall proceed by voice, a
show of hands, or secret ballot as deemed appropriate for the situation by the
Chairperson.

C. A simple majority vote is
required to pass any MSC issue not otherwise specified to require a different
majority by this Constitution or its By-Laws.

D. The Chairperson of the MSC shall
not vote in any election except in the case of a tie, at which time s/he casts
the deciding vote.

Section Twelve: Faculty Advisor

A. Selection of a Faculty Advisor
shall be made from among the active faculty of the Brody School of Medicine.

B. Selection of the Advisor shall be
made by nomination by the MSC to the Dean of Student Affairs, who will have the
final authority to approve the Faculty Advisor.

C. There shall be no limit to the
number of years a faculty member may serve as Advisor, but the MSC must approve
the Advisor on a yearly basis.

Article III: Functions

Section One: Interest Groups

A. The Medical Student Council will
approve groups who wish to be declared official interest groups of the Brody
School of Medicine. Each new group must provide documentation to the MSC
Secretary of their willingness to be declared an official interest group at
least two weeks before the election meeting. Each group will be allowed two
minutes to present to the council and a chance to answer any questions. The
council can then approve the group by a simple majority vote. Once a group is
approved by the Medical Student Council, they will remain an official group
until they become inactive. It should be noted that becoming an official
interest group in no way guarantees funding from the office of Student Affairs.

Section Two: Funding Eligibility

A. The Medical Student Council will
provide criteria so student interest groups can be recognized to be eligible to
receive funding from the Office of Student Affairs. It should be noted that the
distribution of funds is solely determined by Student Affairs, not by the
Medical Student Council. All groups must satisfy Section A and either B
or C depending on their classification.

B. Requirements for ALL medical
school interest groups

Every group must satisfy the
following:

1. must be a officially recognized
group by the Medical Student Council

2. have an updated Constitution
filed with Student Affairs

3. have an actively involved faculty
advisor

4. hold at least three meetings per
semester

5. fulfills a need in accordance
with the mission of the medical school or the medical school community which is
to be determined by Student Affairs

6. reapplies for funding through
Student Affairs each year, in which a summary of club activities and an
itemized budget are submitted

7. newly established organizations
must be official interest groups for one year before being eligible to receive
any funding from Student Affairs

C. Requirements for groups of
academic interest in which there is a specialty (not subspecialty) recognized
by the LCME

Must satisfy three of the following
requirements:

1. provides several opportunities
each semester for forums where students and faculty can exchange ideas

2. have at least 10 members at each
meeting, and this attendance must be submitted to Student Affairs

3. have affiliation with its
national organization

4. receive financial support from
the sponsoring department

D. Requirements for all other
medical student interest groups

Must satisfy three of the
following requirements:

1. have affiliation with a national
organization

2. have at least 10 members at each
meeting, and this attendance must be submitted to Student Affairs

3. has representation at national or
regional conferences sponsored by that group

4. conducts one student-wide
activity or project each year promoting the group’s interest

Amendment 1: The rules will go into
effect in the 2003-2004 academic year for all currently recognized groups. The
two week waiting period will be waived for applying groups during the 2002-2003
academic year.

Amendment 2: All groups currently
recognized as official interest groups by the office of Student Affairs will
automatically be recognized as official groups by the Student Council.

Comments

Medical Student Council Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University 600 Moye Blvd Greenville, NC 27834